No Gravitas Allowed -- The Iain [M.] Banks thread

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Kesper North: Nov 3, 2011; EMERGENCY POWER TO PARTY

ROU Outside Context Solution

# ? Oct 23, 2014 15:47

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# ? Apr 18, 2024 14:03

Nektu: Jul 4, 2007; FUKKEN FUUUUUUCK; Cybernetic Crumb

GSV Lyrical Glory Incarnate

(I totally stole that, but it is just so good).

# ? Oct 23, 2014 17:00

ptkfvk: Apr 30, 2013

this thread has encouraged me to reread all the banks i have. Thank you.

# ? Oct 23, 2014 18:21

Kesper North: Nov 3, 2011; EMERGENCY POWER TO PARTY

ptkfvk posted:

this thread has encouraged me to reread all the banks i have. Thank you.

Oh god, now we've caused a run on the Banks.

# ? Oct 23, 2014 18:38

fookolt: Mar 13, 2012; Where there is power
There is resistance

Gravitas Shortfall posted:

Fission Chips

God drat it.

# ? Oct 23, 2014 18:58

ZekeNY: Jun 13, 2013; Probably AFK

GCU Dead Horse? There's No Dead Horse Around Here

# ? Oct 23, 2014 20:49

Gravitas Shortfall: Jul 17, 2007; Utility is seven-eighths Proximity.

Check out this amazing bit of Hydrogen Sonata art, from the artist "Manchu", I think it's for a translated French version.

# ? Oct 25, 2014 21:00

Hedrigall: Mar 27, 2008; by vyelkin

I just read a review of Surface Detail that said this

quote:

One part of the novel follows Chay, who has become trapped in a virtual hell, and charts the torment (both physical and psychological) which she experiences. Banks�s visceral imagination summons up wheels of blood, monstrous demons and a vast war in hell � the only purposes of which are to inflict more suffering. Banks has a brilliant imagination not only for science fiction concepts but also for the gruesome and disturbing. In this novel he combines both, and the result is both gripping and gory.

and honestly that sounds amazing, should I skip forward and read this book next (I've read Phlebas, Games, Weapons and State of the Art) or just continue with the publication order and read Excession next? I know they're all standalone books and can be read in any order yada yada yada, but what would you recommend I tackle next?

# ? Oct 29, 2014 06:53

xian: Jan 21, 2001; Lipstick Apathy

Excession is amazing, favorite Banks book for me.

Surface Detail doesn't quite reach those heights, but is still great.

If you really love Ships and Minds, go with Excession.

You're not going to be disappointed with either.

# ? Oct 29, 2014 06:58

Seaside Loafer: Feb 7, 2012; Waiting for a train, I needed a shit. You won't bee-lieve what happened next

I think Excession is cooler if you like your sci-fi, gently caress loads of big mean super powerful spaceships getting up to nonsense and giving you their personal conversations. I think surface Surface Detail is one where banks trys to tackle the age old philosophical question of what happens if you make a perfect copy of a sentient being, as is in what happens if the transporter hosed up on star trek and the original was still there.

# ? Oct 29, 2014 07:04

Lasting Damage: Feb 26, 2006; Fallen Rib

Just dive into Surface Detail next if that sounds intriguing to you. Surface Detail and Use of Weapons are the only two books with a notable connection, so there's no chronological concerns. Excession is a yarn about a big, complicated, galaxy-spanning conspiracy. So if that sounds more interesting, I guess you should look at that instead.

# ? Oct 29, 2014 09:02

Gravitas Shortfall: Jul 17, 2007; Utility is seven-eighths Proximity.

The most powerful thing about Surface Detail is that it really makes you examine just how hosed up the idea of "hell" is, and immediately throws into suspicion any belief structure that includes the concept of unending torment as punishment.

# ? Oct 29, 2014 11:58

andrew smash: Jun 26, 2006; smooth soul

Hedrigall posted:

I just read a review of Surface Detail that said this

and honestly that sounds amazing, should I skip forward and read this book next (I've read Phlebas, Games, Weapons and State of the Art) or just continue with the publication order and read Excession next? I know they're all standalone books and can be read in any order yada yada yada, but what would you recommend I tackle next?

Look to windward is really, really good.

# ? Oct 29, 2014 16:59

MikeJF: Dec 20, 2003

I do feel like Excession and Windward feel... younger than Surface Detail and Matter and The Hydrogen Sonata. Like there was a noticeable shift in style in the eight years between Windward and Matter, and you should read the earlier generation of books before the later.

# ? Oct 29, 2014 18:16

Barry Foster: Dec 24, 2007; What is going wrong with that one (face is longer than it should be)

MikeJF posted:

I do feel like Excession and Windward feel... younger than Surface Detail and Matter and The Hydrogen Sonata. Like there was a noticeable shift in style in the eight years between Windward and Matter, and you should read the earlier generation of books before the later.

I do too. It won't hurt (I read Matter third and Look to Windward last but for The Hydrogen Sonata) but there's definitely a tonal and thematic shift. Plus, y'know, the latter ones are way longer.

# ? Oct 29, 2014 18:44

Fragmented: Oct 7, 2003; I'm not ready =(

Gravitas Shortfall posted:

The most powerful thing about Surface Detail is that it really makes you examine just how hosed up the idea of "hell" is, and immediately throws into suspicion any belief structure that includes the concept of unending torment as punishment.

This is a great short post. I don't know anyone who is religious in a religion with hell can read this and still think people should go there. I've read some hosed up poo poo but wow. That book is messed up. And one of my favorites.

# ? Nov 4, 2014 01:30

Entropic: Feb 21, 2007; patriarchy sucks

Look To Windward was the best of the Culture books IMHO.

# ? Nov 4, 2014 04:48

xian: Jan 21, 2001; Lipstick Apathy

I would love a shirt that referenced the Interesting Times Gang.

# ? Nov 4, 2014 05:14

Gravitas Shortfall: Jul 17, 2007; Utility is seven-eighths Proximity.

xian posted:

I would love a shirt that referenced the Interesting Times Gang.

Seconding this. In fact, some subtle Culture-themed tshirts in general would be pretty neat.

# ? Nov 4, 2014 13:27

Barry Foster: Dec 24, 2007; What is going wrong with that one (face is longer than it should be)

Thirded. Paging BastardySkull to the Iain M. Banks thread.

# ? Nov 4, 2014 14:25

Shockeh: Feb 24, 2009; Now be a dear and
fuck the fuck off.

Frankly, the more subtle the better.

Entropic posted:

Look To Windward was the best of the Culture books IMHO.

That's a funny way to write ~~Excession~~ ~~Matter~~ ~~The Player of Games~~ Use of Weapons.

(I can never decide, but I think UoW always comes out on top for me.)

# ? Nov 4, 2014 14:55

quantumfoam: Dec 25, 2003

Gravitas Shortfall posted:

Seconding this. In fact, some subtle Culture-themed tshirts in general would be pretty neat.

Sublime Culture or SIMULATION in big red letters on a t-shirt?

# ? Nov 4, 2014 18:26

Kesper North: Nov 3, 2011; EMERGENCY POWER TO PARTY

tuluk posted:

Sublime Culture or SIMULATION in big red letters on a t-shirt?

Or something involving gravitas.

# ? Nov 4, 2014 18:39

Toast Museum: Dec 3, 2005; 30% Iron Chef

Shockeh posted:

Frankly, the more subtle the better.

Well, the Culture doesn't have a flag, seal, or symbol. Maybe every plain shirt you see ... :tinfoil:

# ? Nov 4, 2014 20:37

Kesper North: Nov 3, 2011; EMERGENCY POWER TO PARTY

Toast Museum posted:

Well, the Culture doesn't have a flag, seal, or symbol. Maybe every plain shirt you see ...

Could do a visual pun, like a Reaper in a petri dish ("Culture drone").

# ? Nov 4, 2014 21:05

Pretty good: Apr 16, 2007

I think I like Matter the most. I don't think many people think that they like Matter the most.

# ? Nov 4, 2014 21:36

Kesper North: Nov 3, 2011; EMERGENCY POWER TO PARTY

sinking belle posted:

I think I like Matter the most. I don't think many people think that they like Matter the most.

Matter matters, but Matter doesn't matter that much to me.

# ? Nov 4, 2014 21:46

xian: Jan 21, 2001; Lipstick Apathy

I just want a grey pocket tee that says Interesting Times Gang on the pocket. I should just make this on red bubble and order it for myself.

# ? Nov 5, 2014 01:38

Kesper North: Nov 3, 2011; EMERGENCY POWER TO PARTY

Hmm, or maybe a paramecium with quadcopter rotors.

# ? Nov 5, 2014 02:03

MikeJF: Dec 20, 2003

Marain text?

# ? Nov 5, 2014 02:29

The Dark One: Aug 19, 2005; I'm your friend and I'm not going to just stand by and let you do this!

Kesper North posted:

Could do a visual pun, like a Reaper in a petri dish ("Culture drone").

I'm sure we can come up with a nonary glyph that encapsulates all those ideas.

# ? Nov 5, 2014 02:30

Owlbear Camus: Jan 3, 2013; Maybe this guy that flies is just sort of passing through, you know?

A turtleneck with "Zakalwe" printed on the front in Marain.

With matching hat.

# ? Nov 5, 2014 04:49

Hedrigall: Mar 27, 2008; by vyelkin

It's not like anyone can go around calling themselves Zakalwe.

# ? Nov 5, 2014 04:59

xian: Jan 21, 2001; Lipstick Apathy

Interesting
Times Gang

Or

The same thing
In Marain

(not not wasting an hour and a half tomorrow working up marain tshirts)

~

Also, I liked Matter a lot, it was very entertaining, but reading it back to back with Surface Detail didn't do it any favors.

# ? Nov 5, 2014 05:23

Owlbear Camus: Jan 3, 2013; Maybe this guy that flies is just sort of passing through, you know?

xian posted:

Also, I liked Matter a lot, it was very entertaining, but reading it back to back with Surface Detail didn't do it any favors.

The pacing was weird, even by Banks standards. :colbert:

# ? Nov 5, 2014 05:32

MikeJF: Dec 20, 2003

I enjoyed Matter a lot more the second time around when I was prepared for the whiplash.

# ? Nov 5, 2014 05:33

Fragmented: Oct 7, 2003; I'm not ready =(

I had this thought the other day. Matter is like a JRRT hobbit adventure with Anaplion as Gandalf.

# ? Nov 6, 2014 18:32

xian: Jan 21, 2001; Lipstick Apathy

Fragmented posted:

I had this thought the other day. Matter is like a JRRT hobbit adventure with Anaplion as Gandalf.

Love this.

So I was thinking. The phrase "Interesting Times Gang" written in english in a circle on the pocket of a t-shirt. Inside the circle marain script for OCP.

# ? Nov 8, 2014 14:16

MikeJF: Dec 20, 2003

I survived an
OUTSIDE CONTEXT PROBLEM
and all I got was this lousy T-Shirt.

# ? Nov 8, 2014 14:19

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# ? Apr 18, 2024 14:03

xian: Jan 21, 2001; Lipstick Apathy

Hahahaha that's amazing

# ? Nov 8, 2014 15:03

The Something Awful Forums > The Finer Arts > The Book Barn > No Gravitas Allowed -- The Iain [M.] Banks thread

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